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Double Bass Afterlength muting, the H clamp, and further proof that Einstein wasn't born in KY

#41
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Progris Riport:

Got the clamp today. Serious looking device. Quality packaging. Kinda like opening a Mac product for the first time...these guys aren't screwing around. Put it on the bass, and at first had "mic-droop" issues until I figured it out. Here Pardon me! Anyway, first things first: the shockmount thing is pretty useless with my mic. Looks kinda cool, but give my mic an unattractive kind of palsy shake every time I pluck a note. Not good. The good news is, the H-clamp works great with just a regular mic clip, and doesn't really make any handling noise that I can hear in my living room.

Tried a bunch of different positions, so far I like aiming the mic right at the table around the end of the fingerboard. Would love to have a smaller mic than the Beta57, but it isn't in the way even though it looks as though it might be. More later after tomorrow's gig...

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I also tried a small condenser with the clamp, but it sounded too close to feedback (as expected). No matter, the 57 sounds really good. Where do some of youse guys point yer mic with this thing? Also, do you leave it on the bass when you put it in the bag, and if so, how's that workin ferya?

More later. Ooh, I almost forgot: the upload manager is finally working again, so if anybody wants to see Chuck's digs (the room that started all of this mess), click Here. Not bad, what?
 
#46
That's a quick draw, Mr. Fitzgerald. There was an elephant in the room for sure! The mics sound the same. It's been discussed more than once in other threads. While yer at it, you might check out the Planet Waves mic cables with e nifty swivel XLR connecters, if you are concerned with keeping things tidy.:D
 
#47
Busted. :D

BTW, here's my one and only effects pedal (don't worry, mine is cleaner than this one):

ocd.jpg
 
#49
The gig tonight went remarkably well. Everybody liked the H clamp and the way it transformed the sound. It took me a few minutes to dial out a funny "quack" from the mic, but it turns out I just had the preamp gain a little too high - since the new sound source is louder, the pre needed to come down a tad. Other than that, I dug it. And the only "complicated" part of the mount can stay on the bass in the case; the mic and boom arm slide right out and fit neatly into the bow pocket of the case.

Rob - thanks for the info on the 56. If the Heil stubby comes out soon, I may well try that, as I whacked my RH into the tail end of the 57 a few times tonight in the heat of battle. If it doesn't, or if I don't dig it for some reason, I'll probably just grab a Beta56 and be done with it.
 
#50
Before you buy the Beta56, you might check out its weight. I imagine it is because of the unique mounting bracket, but their web site lists its weight at 16.7 oz. vs. 9.6 oz. for the Beta 57A. That would seem to put a lot more stress on the H Clamp. I've yet to open the box on the H Clamp that I purchased last year, and you're inspiring me to give it a try when I get back to Los Angeles next week.

Erik Hansen
 
#52
You should check it out Erik, I bet you'll dig it. You're probably right about the weight of the 56. The issue with the "mic droop" has nothing to do with the H clamp itself - it's cast aluminum, and stiff as a rock. The "droop" thing happens when the screw where the stand goes into the mic clip comes loose, and then the mic rotates. Most mic stands don't try to hold the mic at the angles the H clamp does. I'm sure there's probably a pretty easy fix.

Edit: Steve - I think it was a bit of both. It's a looser, fatter sound now; less "tight" and more organic. I know I need to spend some more time with it, but so far it's just what I had hoped.
 
#53
As I posted on the earlier H clamp thread: Buy some thread locker and put it on the brass adapter and on the boom. (but just a drop or you'll never get it off) It will allow you to put a heavier mic on there without the threads coming loose.
Chris, does the mic sound better to you up under the fingerboard rather then behind the bridge? It seems to on a lotta basses....
 
#54
Pharmaceutical and overdriven control issues aside:D

The only problems I encountered with H-Clamp were the fact that it didn't work perfectly with my carved bass (30's Mittenwald) as the back is to round to accommodate the clamp in the optimum position. It's to round. The other (potential) problem I had with it is that it I don't think it's safe to leave it mounted on the bass in the bag, unless you are willing to risk an "accident".

I think that it's a great invention and very reasonably priced. It is a good tool for the recording studio.....I imagine that a quality heavy duty studio mic stand costs more than the H-Clamp.

The Beta 57 sounded great, hard to beat. Better is the Beyer M-88TG, and better yet is the Beyer M-69TG. Less expensive as well.

I wanted to try the Beyer M-201TG, it's a super cardoid and the lightest most compact of the bunch. Then I decided to part with the clamp before I could get my hands on the mic.

Funny thing is that right after I sold the H-Clamp, I encountered another double bass mic system that should be on the market soon. It's pretty exciting. I can't say anymore here, but I'm sure that we will be discussing it here in the forums. I WON'T be the first to post on the subject! I have no commercial or professional/ educational affiliations here.

I'm just a bass player. Hey, all I wanna do is have some fun.:D
 
#55
Chris Fitzgerald said:
The gig tonight went remarkably well. Everybody liked the H clamp and the way it transformed the sound. It took me a few minutes to dial out a funny "quack" from the mic, but it turns out I just had the preamp gain a little too high - since the new sound source is louder, the pre needed to come down a tad. Other than that, I dug it. And the only "complicated" part of the mount can stay on the bass in the case; the mic and boom arm slide right out and fit neatly into the bow pocket of the case.

Thats a good solution...I carried around a small piece of thick foam and would wedge it between the mic (with foam windscreen) and the body of the bass. It'd go right in the case and never made a mark on my instrument.
Click to expand...
 
#56
gnergaard said:
I just got my H-clamp yesterday. Been goofing around with it ever since, as I don't have gigs this week end.
Got it used off of a talkbass-er. Still wasn't cheap.
Click to expand...

Hey man, glad you finally got the clamp! You are a patient man. Maybe not cheap, true.....but cheaper than anyone else around here got it for. After UPS shipping ($10), you only paid 90 bucks! (And the deliveryman who drove it to UPS didn't get paid for his time, mileage, or fuel either!) I think purchasing used ought to be a feather in your cap, there aren't to many of these floating around used right now. Hope you are enjoying it. I'm sure that you could flip it and get your money back if not.:D

If you consider the R and D and manufacturing costs of the H-Clamp, it's a bargain, assuming it's what you need or desire.......ever seen a homemade version of one of these....... I have........1" drilled wood dowels, coarsely threaded steel rod, and wingnuts......pretty scary! Oh, and the guy had it mounted on a really nice Shen.

Probably won't see H-Clamps on the floor of our Mega guitar stores any time soon. Quality, not quantity, my friends.
 
#57
MR PC said:
The Beta 57 sounded great, hard to beat. Better is the Beyer M-88TG, and better yet is the Beyer M-69TG. Less expensive as well.

I wanted to try the Beyer M-201TG, it's a super cardoid and the lightest most compact of the bunch...
Click to expand...
The Beyer M series are all great mics. The M201 would be a excellent choice in particular, and, as you pointed out, it's also very light and compact.
 
#60
gnergaard said:
I'm suprised. I've been very much aiming to the f hole myself. That seems like such an unlikely spot. Tell me about the sound there... is the table moving a lot at that spot? Are you getting good volume before feedback this way?
Interesting...
Click to expand...

That spot is just what I came up with after moving the mic around a bit in my living room. Before I found that spot, the best spot was down kind of close to the part of the table closest to the afterlength. I couldn't get anything worth having from the f-holes (too boomy by miles). Up where the mic is now was also a bit too wolfy until I realized that I had the preamp set too high. Best I can figure it, the table vibrates more the further it is from a fixed point like the sides or the bridge/soundpost area, so the pre setting I used to use closer to the bridge feet was a little too hot. Once it got dialed back a little, everything sounded great. Time will tell.
 

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